https://shawjonathan.com/2019/06/25/ladybird-alison-lester-dylan/ ( )

Absolutely delightful survey of a *lot* of Australian stuff. I can totally see it being used in a Grade 3 or 4 classroom - each child could choose one animal, city, landmark, etc. and do a little research report on it. ( )

Are We There Yet? tells of a family's travel around Australia for 3 months. This book opens up a new world and a new place to young student who may have no idea, or very little of Australia. The picture books gives images to these new sights, animals, plants, and adventures of the family in Australia. For educational purposes this is a good book to read to students and then have them do projects on Australia or make a month out of places around the world with other books also. Other than the fact that this book teaches about Australia it has very little educational purposes with literacy, moral, or thought provoking concepts. ( )

In my opinion, “Are We There Yet?” is a good book because it teaches the young reader about taking a trip around the continent of Australia. The story starts with Grace and her family taking a road trip together during the winter term of the year. She talks about the different stages of the trip from starting out, to getting on the road, and also to the different landmarks and hot spots all around the continent of Australia. One activity Grace and her family participated in was snorkeling in the Turquoise Bay. “We went snorkeling at Turquoise Bay. A gentle current carried us over the coral reef, as though the ocean was giving us a tour. There were so many fish, like sparkling jewels. My favorites were the tiny Blue Angels.” I enjoyed the illustrations that the author and illustrator, Alison Lester provided to help showcase the story and important places in Australia. She uses bright colors in her illustrations, helping to make the story more real and gain attention from the readers. When Grace and her family were exploring the different areas in Australia, there was a picture of the continent with the exact location of each place they were visiting. I thought this was extremely informative because if someone would want to take a trip to Australia, they would know the location of the exact thing they were looking for when abroad. As the story progresses, the audience is able to really understand all the types of adventures and explorations Australia has to offer, through the eyes of a family on vacation. Some of the things children learn while reading this book would be, what this continent has to offer, the diverse landforms in the area, and how Aussie’s spend their vacation on their homeland. The big idea of the story is for children to understand where and what this international location of Australia has to offer for families, children, and adults. ( )

So inspiring! The travel story has a good flow and realistic details. That and the little adventures and exciting experiences this little family has on their trip, together with the colorful illustrations of all the fantastic sites they visit really makes me want to go there. It's on our bucket list now ... ( )